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The-spirit-movie-poster-1

This is for the 2008 film version of The Spirit; for the comic series, see here.

In Central City, rookie cop Denny Colt returns from the dead as a private detective, known only as "The Spirit," to fight crime. After he finds his nemesis, The Octopus, in a mud hole, Sand Saref uncovers two chests in water nearby. She tries to flee with both chests, but the Octopus shoots at her, snapping the line that connects the chests together. After a fight with The Spirit, The Octopus takes the remaining chest and escapes with one of his thugs.

The Octopus wanted the mystical Blood of Heracles to become immortal and Sand wanted the Golden Fleece of the Argonauts, but both ended up with the wrong one. The Spirit must track down and stop The Octopus before he trades chests with Sand, becoming immortal.

Tropes used in The Spirit (film) include:


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 My city, I cannot deny her. My city screams. She is my mother. She is my lover, and I am her Spirit.

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    • He's also very attached to his hat (who he repeatedly calls "Buddy") and his red tie.
  • Cheek Copy:
    • The Spirit's preferred method of locating Sand. And it works.
    • The bellboy was a dwarf...
  • Chick Magnet: So much so that it may as well be considered a superpower.
  • City Noir: Central City.
  • Cloning Blues: The Octopus' Henchmen are all (extremely expendable) clones. So expendable in fact that, at one point, the only reason The Octopus doesn't kill some is because "they're running out."
  • Cloudcuckoolander: Plaster of Paris.
  • Cute Kitten: Sort of. The kitten is killed off right away...and the only remains are its eyes.
  • Dead Little Sister: Sand's father.
  • Death by Cameo: Frank Miller. Again!
  • Death By Origin Story: The Spirit.
  • Dirty Old Man: Frank Miller
  • The Ditz: Ethos, Pathos, Logos, Dialos, Thermos, Huevos, Rancheros, Tacos, Matzos, Fatsos, Nervos, Dildos, etc...
    • Thankfully the actor playing the clones is only credited as being "Athos, Etc." in the end titles.
  • Doing It for the Art: Frank Miller lavished love and ham on every single frame. Samuel L. Jackson in particular seems having the most fun with it.
  • The Dragon: Silken Floss.
  • The End - or Is It?: Silken Floss, along with Adios and Amigos, escapes into the fog with The Octopus's finger.
  • Fan Service: It's a Frank Miller film with Scarlett Johansson, Eva Mendes, Paz Vega, and Jaime King. You work it out.
  • Fate Worse Than Death:
    • The Octopus is not dead. He's just spread all over the alley. Think about it.
    • It's implied that he'll recover from the finger that Silken Floss put in her Victoria's Secret Compartment.
  • Female Gaze: Say what you want, this movie is at least fair and balanced in its Fan Service.
  • Femme Fatale: Damn near every female character, most notably: Sand Saref, Silken Floss and Plaster of Paris.
  • Foot Focus: There's a rather lengthy focus on The Spirit and Plaster of Paris running through the snow in their bare feet.
  • Friendly Enemy: Oddly enough, The Octopus shows shades of this during his first fight with The Spirit.
  • From a Single Cell: Both The Spirit and The Octopus already have this, but The Octopus strives for Complete Immortality.
  • Funny Background Event: On The Octopus' "butcher's chart" of The Spirit, there are dotted lines going around his mask and tie.
    • Also, Morgenstern's facial expressions when The Spirit is talking to the commissioner.
  • The Grim Reaper: Lorelei Rox.
  • Groin Attack:
    • The Octopus on The Spirit. With a 9 foot lug wrench. Ow.
    • It'll heal.
  • Half the Man He Used To Be: Mangos is sliced in half by the Octopus, who is currently dressed as a samurai.
  • Handsome Lech: The Spirit is portrayed as a total skirt-chaser, when he was more of a Celibate Hero in the comics. More to the point, he would appear embarrassed and chagrined by the advances of Femme Fatales.
  • Hammerspace: The Octopus' guns in the final shootout. The first six might have possibly be hidden inside his coat, but...
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 "I'm the Octopus! I've got... [pulls out two quadruple-barrelled shotguns from behind his back]] ...I've got eight of everything!"

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  • Healing Factor: The Spirit is given one of these in his Backstory, rather than just make him a Badass Normal.
  • Hey, It's That Guy!: Retroactively. Officer Morgenstern is played by Stana Katic, currently Detective Kate Beckett on Castle.
    • As Chief Dolan said she would, she made Detective in no time.
  • Hurricane of Puns: The Octopus seems to have a very Mr. Freeze-esque way to talk about eggs.
  • Hypocrisy- just before the climax, Sand and the Octopus are planning on exchanging their respective MacGuffins. Sand tells her latest cohort to blow the Octopus' head off the moment the transaction is complete. But the moment she arrives, she lectures Silken Floss about how the Octopus can't be trusted and will undoubtedly betray her (despite it never having been so much as hinted that either one is unsatisfied with the other).
  • Impossibly Cool Weapon:
    • With just a hint of BFG.
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 Dolan: Is every goddamn woman in this goddamn hellhole out of her goddamn mind?

Morgenstern: No, sir, they're just equipped!

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 Spirit: (to The Octopus) Why do you KEEP saying that?!

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  The Octopus: When my buddies here find Sand Saref, I won't need profits, I'll have the blood. Then, if I want something, I'll just take it! That's what gods do!

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  • Sharp-Dressed Man: Both The Octopus and The Spirit.
  • Shout-Out:
    • Iger Street, Old Man Kurtzberg, Ditko Delivery — all names of comic book artists. An Eisner drawing of The Spirit is shown as well.
    • According to the movie credits, the "butcher's chart" of The Spirit was drawn by Geof Darrow.
    • Denny rises from his grave in a manner similar to The Bride.
  • Sliding Scale of Silliness Versus Seriousness:
    • Starts pretty serious but, then, it becomes downright silly.
    • Then again the comics the movie was based on slide all over the scale too.
  • Spam Attack:
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 The Octopus: There's shot to hell, there's shot to hell, and there's just plain ridiculous...

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The Octopus: “Where is the blood? There was supposed to be a vase of blood.
Pathos: “It must have been in the other box.”
Silken Floss: What other box, you fart!
Pathos: “The one the pretty lady ran off with. We was watching.”
Silken Floss: “It didn’t occur to you doorstops to mention this?!?
Pathos: “The pretty lady ran off with it. We was watching.
Silken Floss: Seppuku, across the chest.
Pathos: (rubs his finger acros his chest) “That tickles.”
Silken Floss: “With the sword!”
Pathos: (begins sliding the sword across his chest) “Now that’ll wake you up.”

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